Just this week the Kremlin claimed it was at war with the United States and Putin’s No.1 enemy was found dead in prison. Russians are terrified about what’s next.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman informed Russians this week that the “special military operation” that Putin launched in Ukraine in February 2022 was set to go on much longer because it is now “a war against the collective West.”

That’s right: a war.

It was remarkable to hear that word from Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Journalists were explicitly banned from using it as the invasion began and thousands of Russians have been detained, fined and imprisoned for telling the truth about a war which has now been raging for almost two years.

“Moscow deputy Aleksey Gorinov was sentenced to seven years in prison for saying ‘war,’” Sergey Davidis, head of the Political Prisoners Support group, told The Daily Beast. He said over 20,000 Russians have now been detained and punished for protesting against the war. “That includes 131 Russians who have been sentenced to long prison terms in punishment for peaceful or for more radical anti-war actions,” he said. “I don’t think punishments against the war will now be milder after the Kremlin openly says ‘war.’ Putin will be next to declare it.”

  • taanegl@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2510·
    9 months ago

    Good idea! Make Europe militarise again. That has never gone wrong in the history of anything. Europeans are definitely weak and not full of frustration and a want to legitimise their nationality again. Surely European nations won’t make conscription mandatory and rev up their military supply lines again. Surely populism and fascism isn’t on the rise, and even if they are, surely they’ll side with Putin.

    Surely. /s

    I nominate Putin for the award “dumbest fucker of the 21st century” and Russians for “most performant slaves of 21st century”.

    • prole@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      151·
      9 months ago

      How can you not see that’s what he wants? He’s been working to destabilize the West for decades now. Everything you just said weakens Europe, even when they inevitably (mostly) side against him. The result is chaos in Europe, and as you said, the rise of nationalism and fascism among individual nations.

      A bunch of nationalist countries fighting for their own interests rather than their collective interests, doesn’t make for a great European Union.

      • taanegl@lemmy.worldEnglish
        210·
        9 months ago

        Doesn’t matter what he wants, because he’s an idiot who’s painted himself into a corner.

        The destabilisation of the west is underhand, and not by the likes of Putin or China, but of the west them selves.

        Fascism and populism is given rise when politicians of a country have fucked up severely over time, that it doesn’t matter what anyone wants after that. When the masses get drastic, the masses get to smashing. Not only are we looking late-stage capitalism in the eyes, but politicians are deeply involved in forming a favourable scapegoat.

        “Oh no, it’s the Chinese. Oh no, it’s the Jews. Oh no, it’s the kebabs. Oh no, it’s the darkies.” Take your pick, pick your poison.

        Rest assured, as westerners, we are fully capable and pretty much the only ones who can fuck up anything in the western world, and our foot is slammed down on the gas.

        Beep beep, mf.

    • mods_are_assholes@lemmy.worldEnglish
      82·
      9 months ago

      Putin isn’t dumb, he’s evil and in mental decline.

      Don’t pretend he’s acting this way because he is stupid, he knows he doesn’t have much time and wants to make a legacy of cruelty like his idol Stalin

      Claiming he is incompetent just makes him more dangerous.

      • taanegl@lemmy.worldEnglish
        92·
        9 months ago

        TL;DR he is no mental giant, as evident. Hindsight is 20:20.

        First of all he, like a buffoons, he thought Ukraine would lay down flat. Problem? The Russian soldiers were sent by a bunch of nationalistic oligarchs. Ukrainian soldiers defend their right to exist as a culture, as a people. Who do you think is more motivated?

        Secondly, I think Xi Jinpeng must be quietly facepalming him self. BRICS just got a kick in the balls, and that’s because Putin was cocky and horny for being a centerpiece in the history books. Putin should really just sized up a new leader, groomed and installed them, retired and smiled as a footnote in the history books.

        Instead, he wanted to be grand, and put BRICS in the cross hairs like 5-10 years before it would be smart to do so. Legitimising it now and surplanting the need for SWIFT is a tall order, especially since other nations, geo-political powers and non-governmental organizations have started to mobilize against it - policy wise. Uh oh, US NATO imperialism intensifies, to the detriment of BRICS adoption.

        So yeah, he might not be “dumb” dumb, but he is no master chess player, that’s for sure. In fact, I’ll wager he pulls off a stupid enough move up trigger war throughout Europe, a no-win scenario where Russia loses land in the end. Some because they have been neglected for decades, and others because of shared history with other nation states. Certain parts of Eurasia is looking like a fat ol’ peach to Xi right about now, I’ll tell you that much.

        Remember: nobody really wants war, not even Putin. That’s not productive, really. If the war turns inwards, the whole political house of cards may fall down. That’s why he postured to begin with, and why China doesn’t “take land”, but assimilates like a fine oiled machine. They’re both trying for “reunification” with other states, but one struggles a bit more than the other.